Amusement device.



J. H. GRAUN @L S. BALDWIN.

AMUSEMENT DEVICE.

`API"LIOATION FILED FEB. 14, 1911.

Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

f UNITED STATES PATENT. L

'JAMES H. CRAUN ANI) scorr BALDWIN, oF MARION, INDIANA. v

f n AMUSEMENT'DEVICE. X

\ Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented j Application ied'rebraa'y 14,1911. j serial NqI eosasj States,l residing at Marion, in thegcounty ofL haut, State of Indiana, have invented acer-- tain new and useful Improvementsin Amusement Devices; and we do hereby-declare the following to beta full, clear7 and yexact defscription of the invention, such ,as willenable others skilled in .the art tojwhich 1t appertains to make 'and use the same.

This invention relates to amusementfde? vices, and particularly those aerial type. j I `The object of j y .I provision .of a device ofthe characterynamed which includes `a sectional casing in which is adapted to be stored aparachute' or other ae'rial toy, and in providingmeanswhereby the sections of the caslng areA automaticallyv 'moved' to openposition Vwhen said casing hasreached a predetermined'height,4 so that the parachute or yother aerial toy contained therein will be discharged therefrom.

A further object of the invention resides in s o constructing ,thedevice that the release of the sections ofthe casing will occur-when the latter have beenv 'automatically positioned so thatthe free end of the sections thereof willjconstitute the lowermost portion of the casing, this manner of releasing the sections serving to dispose the'interiors of same downwardly and thus more effectively discharge the contentsl of the` casing.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consistsinthe details of construction and arrangement and combination of parts tobe hereinafter more fully ydescribed `and particularly pointed out in the. appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views; and in which,

- Figure 1 is a View showing the manner of operating the device, the casing which contains the parachute being in mid-airiny the position occupiedV thereby just subsequent to its release to open position, the

parachute having been .discharged from the projecting casing and the` .connection controlling the locking device of thefcasing being in the position it would-occupy justprevious to returning. to the yground. under the invention resideswin the free edgeof the'latter and extended through Fig. 2;l andFigf-l, a detail perspectivey yview of :the projecting casing just released,

ndshowmg the ,parachute` lying loosely inwone part thereof., j n .v

Referring to the draw1ngs,l the Vdevice is shown as comprising ,a hollow casingA hav'- ing substantiallythe shape 4of afsphere, and

formed of a pair of sections-10 and `11 each ofl n-which jvis hemispherical-f'in -sjliape and `which are hingejdly` connected together at 12fso asto permit r.said .sections-'to be swung toward `and awayy from eachother to open and closc.tl1ecas,ing;

The sections ltland r1l lare normally held in open position-by i means of a'spring, 13. This spring has one end' fxedtofthe section 10 andvvtlien .extended exteriorly of 'they'` casing across the hinge 12 and through anopening` 14v inthe section 1,1 to 'thefinterior'of said section. The end ofthe spring 13 disposedwithinthe section 11 bears against the inner facethereofso that when the sections 10 andll'are moved towardr andk away from, eaclrl other,y

said spring is energized kand' constantly` tends to lforce said sections away.: from eachy other and thus open the casing.k Mounted on the section 10 atthe Vouter-mostiportion of its free edge is a. catch pin 15. `'Ih'eginn'er end of thisv pin is rivetedto the'section 10y at' 16y and is then carried along theinner face of said section to a point ladjacent the an opening 17 so as to project outwardlyof `the casing and formsubstantially an eXtension 4of a diameter of the latter when the same is in-'closed position. Similarly 'se-- cured to the section 1ly is avcatch pin 18 which when thesections 10 and l1 are movedk kto closed position :will extend outwardly v `from the casinfrin substantially parallel relat-ion to theciitch pin15.

In order to ksecurethe sections 10 and 11 of the casing against .movement to closed position under the influence of thek spring 13, a cap 19 formed of cork o'r other suitable` o material is passed upon the catch .pins 15y and 18 andserves to holdsaid kpins against i movement away from each other,-which in turn prevents the movement ofthe sections :10 and 11 to op'enf position under the influence `of the spring' 13.k The catchy19 is se-y tions' Willalivaysbe moved tlopen .position Jcured to one endy of a connection 2O which is anchored to the ground at Q1 and is of a predetermined length. i

,In using theVv l device,

ofthe latter are'iocked in closed position bymeaiis of thecap 19.-v vThe casing is then projected "into the' airfbyhand or otherwise.

Thisbeing done, it 'Will continueits flight'A under the influence of'its projecting force until it has ascended a distance slightlyl l greater than the length loi" the connection 20.v

At this point, the' cap 419 beingincapable of further upward inovement,'will be strippedl from the catch pins lland 18 and thus re vlease the section'sof the casing to open position to eiect lthe dischargepf the parachute contained Within the casing. i

It will benoted vthat as the'catfch pins 15 and 18 extend outWai-dlylfrom the casingA and that the capcan only be "removed therefrom 'longitudinally of'said pins, that Vbefore said'capV is stripped from the catchv pins the lattervvill be moved so as to con# stitute the loWermost portion yof the casing A before the release'of the sections 10`and 'llzis accomplished. NOW,"V as thesey catch pins 15 and 18v 'are'located atthe outermostr portion of the -free edges ofv the ysectionslO and 11, it Will-l be -apparent that said sec? with their `interiors *disposed towardy the ground." The positive positioning the p n u the' parachute :is stored Within the lcasing A and the sections ing for holdingli'naterial to be projected and formed of a plurality of hingedly connected sections,v means constantly tending to; move said` sectionsvtoopen position, a

`catch `pin mounted on each section, av cap4 covering all of said pins and holding the sectionswin closed position, a connection of-V predetermined,,length having one end scoured tothe cap and. its other end adapted for connect-ionto a fixed part whereby said cap will ,be disengaged fromsaid'pins under the influence/ofv said connection When the casing reaches a predetermined point inl'its flight vrand leitcct the dischargev ofthe contents'of the "c'z'ising:vl

A devicey of vthe "class vdescribed comprising'a casing formed of a plurality of hingedly connected sections, means vconstantly tending to move said 4sections tov open position, `a lcatch member on'y each yot said sections,fand a y'locking'device engaging said catch* members and holding `the secltions in closed position against'the influence of said tendency, said locking devicebeingl releasable Vfrom 'said catch members'by extending through said casing.

3. A device of the lclass describedcomprising aA casing formed of a plurality of hingedly connected vsections,'means conk i movementy aivav from ther casing in aline stantly tending tol move said sections A'to n open position, a pin on each of'said 'sections extending in, afliiie passing through said casing, and a cap covering 'all' of said pins andfholding theY sect-ionsfinv closed position against the influence of' such tendency,*said cap being disengagedY from vsaid Lpins by movement longitu'flinallyof the latter.

In testimonyjvvhereof, Wea-thx oursignaturesin presence of two witnesses' y' 1 JAMES H. CRAUN.r y `SCO'F'I BALDWIN. Witnesses: p Y

'RALPH ANDERSON, i

GHAs. R. BiiUNT. 

